The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-12-24
THE WOOL IMPOSITION.

OF all impositions upon the patient and
long. suffering taxpayers Of the U. 3. the
tariff ON wool Is the most costly and non
senslcal. The tax averages about So per
cent, or 10 cents per pound, BY the las,
census there were in the L. s., in round
numbers 100000 sheep, owned by about
100000 farmers and wool growers, averag.
Ing 70 sheep each and yielding annually
about lbs, per sheep, or 2l0 lbs per. wool
grower, making the benefit derived from
the tariff on wool, supposlng 1t really raised
It's price to the full amount of the tariff,
$40 year to each wool grower or owner
Of AZ sheep.
Al the same time, TO appease the WOODEN
manufacturers for this tax on their raw
material, there is imposed tax of from 60
to 50 per cent on all imported manufactures
of wool; and as the consumption of wooden
goods in the [. S. IS about $400,0OO,OO0
worth year, this tax of 60 to so per cent
may reasonably be estimated 20 cost the
people of the L. S. about $50 100000 a
year. in order 10 benefit the wool growers
to the amount of 100000 year!
And now see what a boon 10 the wool
growers this $40 apiece year from the
tariff Is. Each owner of AZ sheep may
reasonably be supposed to be household
er with family Of five to support, Surely
an allowance Of - year per head for
WOODEN clothing, bedding, &c, is reason.
able, making $40 per householder, OF
which $lj at least goes in the shape of
tariff tax 70 the wool manufacturer, so that
for the protection" tax Of 81 10 a year re-
ceiyed on his wool he Is out annually $3.50
for overplus paid to the manufacturer
Worse yet! In 1864 we had in Illinois
81 WOODEN manufactures. The Morrill,
tax on wool threatened to hurt them, but
the simultaneous tax Of 70 to so per cent
on WOODEN goods more than made up for II,
and for n few years our little home wooden
mills enjoyed big boom. Then, however,
the great Eastern manufacturers - the
Ilarrises, the Beaches, the Hazards, &c,
&c, invented shoddy, and by the erection
of costly machinery were able to turn old
wooden rags, mill fuzz and dustings into
new and serviCeable wool! go that our
little western manufacturers could no
longer hold up their heads with them, and
nearly all went by the board, so In Illinois,
so In Indiana, rs in Ohio, and so on all
over the county. The paralysis of shoddy
equally affected the price of wool, and that
went down, so that for the last ten years
wool has really been lower In the market
than II was before there was any tariff on
wool
But shoddy has had its day, and the
dealers in wooden goods will ne longer
touch it, but buy in preference honest
English and French cloths, which being
free Of the tax on raw material, can be sold
in the U. =. as cheaply as our home made
goods, in spite of tariff protection.
And so the great Eastern WOODEN manu-
featuring lords are in the dumps Without
free wool, they say, they shall all be closed
up within year. Says MIR. Beach, of the
great wool manufacturing firm of Beach &
Co., OF Hartford, in the New York Herald'
During the early days we thought protec-
ton was good thing; we now know that
the tariff, as 1t works, is dead against
American interests We own Il big
MILL with eighteen GETS of machinery
for making all kinds Of wooden stuffs. 1t
cost $250,o00 1t is now closed down, and
II the present condition OF affairs continues
we shall be glad TO tear out the machinery
and cell for one-third its cost The Ben
nington Mills, which cost 100000, the
other day were sold for $50,000-yes, the
whole thing, buildings, machinery, every
thing" or twenty-five great wooden man
ufacturing establishments In New England
and Now York a majority are closed, and
not half dozen are running full handed
Why, The tax on wool! I'VE cannot
make hne goods says Mr.. Beach, with
out both foreign and domestic wool The
best American merino Is perhaps the most
strong and durable of any wool, but without
a mixture OF Australian to give 1t softness,
dealers will not buy It, The best wearing
and the most marketable goods are those
eonastlng of half Australian and half best
American WOOL"
"ln short concludes Mr. Beach, "give
us free Australian wool with our improved
new machinery and superior workmen, and
We can defy foreign competition, and with
q tariff of but So per cent to Offset tax on
chemicals, c,--such as the Morrison bill
of the last session Of congress proposed,
every WOODEN mill In New England, Of
which more than half are now idle, will
start up In = month. We shall not only be
able 70 drive foreign WOODEN goods out of
our home market, but compete with Eng
land and France Ia the markets OF the
world; and with the increased manufac-
sure here make such market for our home